In Moscow, a visit to Sergey and Ivan Berezutskiy, discovering the reason behind the success of Twins. And the irresistible growth of a continent

30-04-2018 | 11:00

Russian gastronomy is the result of ancient tradition and stories of different characters, of a cosmopolitan society, of an extensive land and a large range of ingredientia. For a long time it was associated to stereotypes like vodka and borscht. Its cuisine, however, has started a new era, with many chefs researching their culinary heritage, and professionals constantly working to give new value and rediscover the authentic flavours of an endless country.

The Berezutskiy twins are a perfect example of this new generation. They both have experience in famous international restaurants: Sergey worked at Alinea, next to Grant Achatz and even won the title of 2014 S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna Young Chef of the Year; Ivan, on the other hand, developed his talent in the kitchens of El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca. They’ve grown a lot and today they use the knowledge they acquired to create a personal version of Russian cuisine, based on local products, proudly sourced from their own farm.

Twins Garden is an exemplary follower of the farm-to-table philosophy: it’s the first restaurant in Russia to have its farm. It currently provides 70% of the ingredients, but the Berezutskiy twins aim to become self-sufficient someday, and produce 100% of their ingredients.

Arctic wild blackberry with condensed milk (photo Semen Kuzmin)

Cheeseboard, the house selection of cheese (photo Semen Kuzmin)

«Our cooking starts from the seeds, for the simple reason that this way we can control the quality standards of the products we use and their flavours. We can plan what our ducks, goats and cows eat and thus offer excellent products in our restaurant».

The embargo on western products hit restaurants hard, but, at the same time, it also forced people to study culinary tradition and typical ingredients, some of which had been forgotten for years, or lost during the Soviet era. «Chefs and guests», they point out, «started to pay more attention to Russian products before the embargo. The latter simply accelerated the process of exploration. It didn’t cause it».

There’s no doubt there’s a growing international interest in the new Russian cuisine: we know everything of their eleven climatic regions, each different in terms of ecosystem and tradition. And we will find out even more, given the approaching World Cup. «We’re happy to welcome people from all over the world», say the Berezutskiy twins, «we’re happy to show them not only our ballet, but our great gastronomy too».

The first floor of the restaurant (photo Roman Shelomentsev)

The twins at Identità Expo (photo Vanya Berezkin)

At Twins, this gastronomy translates into a tasting menu with 12 dishes and an extensive à la carte offer. All the dishes are a result of the effort made to highlight each product: homemade cheese made with Nubian goat’s milk, salad with crabs from Kamchatka and pomelo, beef steak tartare with smoked prune, sturgeon with vegetable salad... A rich wine list, including around one thousand wines, completes the picture.

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso

by

Beniamin Chalupinski

Chef, journalist, a Phd in Italian linguistics, author of books on the theme, experiences that converge in the same profession, from writing to cooking, from cooking to journalism and back to cooking. The same that led him to write for Mexican magazines such as Protocolo, Saborearte and Siempre

Share

Sections

Dal Mondo

Reviews, recommendations and trends from the four corners of the planet, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose

by

Beniamin Chalupinski

Chef, journalist, a Phd in Italian linguistics, author of books on the theme, experiences that converge in the same profession, from writing to cooking, from cooking to journalism and back to cooking. The same that led him to write for Mexican magazines such as Protocolo, Saborearte and Siempre